Valen Strike
Appearance Valen stands at 5'8 with an average body frame. His eyes are sea blue and he has short dark brown hair. Under his left eye is a small scar he inflicted on himself in a training accident. For clothing he typically wears a long green robe with red highlights. For shoes he wears simple brown sandals. Skypiea By the time of the events on Skypiea, Valen has grown taller, now standing at 5'9. His hair has grown out somewhat and his body has become more toned, a result of his training and constant battle. He has ditched wearing robes in favor of lighter clothing, now prefering a white T-shirt underneath an open short sleeved grey jacket and blue shorts. He has also started carrying his swords on his back, though depending on his mood he may carry them on hips for quick access. Post Ember Island After Ember Island, Valen once again changed his outfit. He now wears a large, black captain's coat with blue trimming over his shoulders, similar to how most marine's wear theirs as a cape. On the back of the coat the jolly roger of the Strike Pirates is displayed and on the sleeves the kanji for lightning is adorned in bold electric blue. He carries his swords in their sheathes located on his hips, concealed underneath the coat. Underneath the coat Valen now sports a red sleeveless shirt and black pants adorned with lighting symbols. He's also started wearing proper shoes instead of his usual sandals. Personality Valen is a largely carefree individual. So long as nobody causes him or his friends trouble or injury he's content to move on in the world. He's also somewhat protective of his friends. Because of this, Valen has a tendancy to carry a grudge against those that have attacked his crew or comrades. Valen has a sarcastic sense of humor with little in the way to restrain it. Though for the most part he tries to avoid upsetting others, an opportunity to take a crack at someone else is a chance he finds hard to resist, especially if the victim is someone he doesn't like. Valen is also more perceptive than he lets on, a trait that tends to show itself in combat. When facing a strong foe, he will observe and assimilate aspects of the opponent's fighting style to compliment his own. An example of this is when Valen observed Donovan Vlad utilize his Soru and eventually managed to replicate the technique, creating his Thunder Dash. Despite being a pirate, Valen is actually fairly noble. He refuses to stand idly by when the defenseless are being abused and will not hesitate to stand up for them. As such he tends to get drawn into the fights of others, though because of his enjoyment of battle he doesn't mind. When called out on this habit Valen will deny it. Despite his attempts to maintain a serious appearance, Valen has a number of quirks that occasionally thwarts him. The first is Valen's fear of heights, when placed in a situation where he is high above the ground Valen is liable to lose his composure and remain so until he either finds something to focus on or he returns to the ground. Also, Valen's strong desire to fight strong opponents tends to override his reason, resulting in him focusing on fighting that opponent and requiring signifigant motivation to do otherwise. Dream To become a legendary pirate. Fighting Style Valen originally relied on a pragmatic form of Two Sword Style, he didn't hesitate to go for cheap blows if it meant winning the fight. This stems from his youth growing up around bandits, who taught him to fight dirty. Though Valen also recieved training in swordsmanship at a Dojo, so he will only fight dirty if he has to. Valen prefers to hit his opponents fast and hard, delivering powerful attacks with impressive speed. As such his style tends to focus equally on both speed and power. Since obtaining the powers of the Goro Goro no Mi, Valen has adapted his swordplay to incorporate his lightning. While his overall style is unchanged, he now augments his attacks with electricity. Valen also utilizes his power to attack from a distance, greatly expanding his offensive range. Valen has a code of honor that prevents him from killing his foes. When dealing the final blow, Valen will always hold back just enough for his opponent to survive. Although when neccesary, Valen will not hold back and will attack his opponent with full force if they are too dangerous to remain alive or have otherwise sufficiently angered him. Abilities Two Sword Style *'Nimble Fighter': The swordsman demonstrates their superior skill in blocking and avoiding attacks. If the character would be hit by a technique, add 10 to the rolled number. Automatically unlocked upon creation. *'Two Sword': All multi-component techniques used by the swordsman have the power of the components increased by half the component's damage. Weapon bonuses do not effect the bonus to component damage. This skill does not apply if the full technique hits. This skill also does not alter Effect damage. Unlocked on creation Devil Fruit *Goro Goro no Mi History Born and raised in Shimotsuki Village Valen grew up near the dojo of the island. Fascinated by the art of swordsmanship, the day he came of age at fifteen he enrolled and became an apprentice. After three years of training Valen decided he wanted to go out into the world and become a master swordsman whose skill was respected by all. However that same year the World Government had begun increasing their strength of arms in the four Blues and Grand Line. Deciding to wait another year to hone his skills he eagerly awaited the day he could set out and form his own crew. Bounty Poster Valen Strike Bounty Poster.png|Valen's first bounty poster Themes File:Final attack|Spear of Storms, the final attack! File:Stalking Menace (Jarod's Battle Theme) - Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn (HQ)|Valen enters the Fray! File:Spirited Swordsman Zoro Extended|Ignited File:Fired Up, Next Level Battle|Fired Up, Next Level Battle File:Fairy Law|Thunder Bomb Unleashed Category:Characters Category:Pirate Category:Strike Pirates Category:East Blue Category:Devil Fruit User Category:Goro Goro no Mi Category:Nitoryu Category:Swordsman